To increase the versatility of use of a pick-up truck, it is a common practice to utilize a canopy over the open cargo box or bed of the truck. One form of canopy is a rigid cover or cap which is removably mounted on the cargo box to provide a complete enclosure with a suitable door and windows for use as sleeping quarters and the like. Another known form of pick-up truck canopy is a collapsible enclosure mounted on the cargo box and adapted to be retracted in accordion fashion to leave most of the box uncovered or open and adapted to be extended to a closed position in which the box is covered. This type of canopy is referred to as a "convertible top" inasmuch as it may remain on the truck and be converted between an open top and a closed top for the cargo box.
In the prior art, the Feather U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,787 granted Sept. 5, 1972, discloses a longitudinally collapsible canopy for pick-up trucks. The canopy of this patent comprises a plurality of transversely extending bows which are movably mounted at opposite ends on respective tracks which are fixed to the sides of the truck box; a flexible sheet is supported by the bows and is adapted to cover and enclose the truck box when the bows are spaced apart and to fold into festoons between the bows when the canopy is collapsed with the bows closely adjacent each other. A front panel is affixed to the truck box at the forward end thereof and extends somewhat higher than the cab roof with a window in alignment with the window in the truck cab. A rear panel is attached to the rearward bow and moves therewith between the open and closed position of the canopy. A window is also provided in the rear panel. When the convertible top of the Feather patent is open, i.e. the canopy collapsed, the flexible sheet of the top is folded over the bows and is exposed to the weather. Further, the top, especially in the open position, is an unattractive addition to the vehicle.
The Rodrigue U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,363 granted Feb. 24, 1981, discloses a convertible top for a pick-up truck with a rigid capsule for enclosing a collapsible canopy when the covertible top is open. The convertible top of Rodrigue comprises a rigid front shell fixedly mounted on the front end of the truck box and a rigid rear shell which is movably mounted on tracks fixed to the sides of the truck box. A set of bows are disposed between the front and rear shells and are movably mounted on the tracks and support a flexible sheet which is attached at one end to the forward end of the front shell and at the rear end to the inside of the rear shell. When the convertible top of Rodrigue is open, the front and rear shells completely enclose the bows and the sheet of the canopy. The rear shell is movable to the rear end of the truck box to a closed or extended position in which the convertible top covers the truck box. The front shell is provided with a transparent window and the rear shell is provided with a window and a suitable closure. The convertible top of the Rodrigue patent utilizes an abutting relationship between the front and rear shells in which the flexible sheet extends from the front of the front shell to the rear shell. This arrangement is not entirely satisfactory from the standpoint of space utilization.
A general object of this invention is to provide an improved convertible top for pick-ups which overcomes certain disadvantages of the prior art.